The formation of Pussy Riot in Moscow last September was not a culmination of long-harboured musical ambition, songcraft or that strange alchemy of notes, lyrics, personalities and desire that sometimes spawns a rock ‘n’ roll band; rather it was reactionary – a furious two-fingered salute to Vladimir Putin’s decision to return to the presidency, a protest writ large in music and femininity.

Pussy Riot are an all-female punk band. More, they are part of an increasingly vocal young-and-disgruntled generation in Russia, railing against political corruption, the state’s monopoly on the media and the culture of illegal protest (to name but three sizeable gripes) and finding novel ways to display their dissent: the Blue Buckets group have run over official cars while wearing buckets on their heads; the art collective Voina painted a 65-metre phallus on the drawbridge opposite the Federal Security Service headquarters in St Petersburg, and activists in the Siberian city of Barnaul circumnavigated the protest laws by assembling a crowd of small placard-wielding toys.

In the months since their formation, the eight members of Pussy Riot have perfected their own form of protest: their songs are pithy, angry missives, largely directed at Putin, and they remain beguilingly anonymous – the band wear neon balaclavas to conceal their identities and perform flash gigs in unexpected places: on public transport, for example, and, once, on a prison roof. In mid-January, they pulled off their most audacious show to date: performing on a platform in front of St Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square, opposite the Kremlin: “Revolt in Russia – the charisma of protest,” they sang. “Revolt in Russia, Putin’s got scared!” It was the shortest of performances, only minutes before the authorities hauled the group away, but the point had been made.

The fact that Pussy Riot are all female and proudly feminist brings an interesting dimension to their protest: “The revolution should be done by women,” one of its members told the Guardian this week. “For now, they don’t beat us or jail us as much. There’s a deep tradition in Russia of gender and revolution – we’ve had amazing women revolutionaries.”

Certainly their actions continue the great enterprising tradition of female protest – from suffragettes to slut walks, the furious crowds gathered outside the Miss America pageant in 1968 and the Ladies’ Home Journal sit-in of 1970, not to mention the Take Back the Night movement and the Million Mom March. For the band themselves, however, inspiration came most strongly from the riot grrrl movement of the 90s; indeed they cite the band Bikini Kill as their poster girls.

Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill at Wetlands in 1994. Photograph: Steve Eichner/WireImage

The riot grrrl movement began in America’s Pacific north-west in the early 90s. Similarly underground, staunchly feminist and fired by punk rock music, it was propelled by a number of innovative and revolutionary female-led bands, among them Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Heavens to Betsy and Huggy Bear.

Huggy Bear

The movement really caught flame in 1991, spurred by the Christian Coalition’s Right to Life campaign against legal abortion, and the case of Anita Hill, who accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment and was duly mocked widely in the media. Outraged, incensed, in need of a voice, young women made their anger known through a series of self-made publications and public gatherings, including the band L7′s riposte to Right to Life, Rock for Choice. They raged against rape, domestic violence, the patriarchy, they promoted female empowerment, the force of a sisterhood.

“The culture of protest needs to develop,” one of the members of Pussy Riot said last month, and indeed as much as the band represent a form of protest in Russia, they also embody a shift in culture that echoes the DIY culture that flourished in the Seattle and Olympia areas of Washington in the early 90s – fanzines, garage punk bands, a tone of wild irreverence and a wish to question tradition.

Janet Weiss, Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

It was this cultural shift in the early 90s that underpinned the riot grrrl movement and enabled an alternative female voice to rise up and be heard; women who had long sat silent, who saw no way into politics, the media, the music industry, now had a way to express themselves and an audience eager to hear what they had to say.

As a new generation in Russia seeks its own voice in the face of repression, it is easy to see why the riot grrrl movement of 20 years ago offers inspiration – a way to communicate, to rabble-rouse and empower, through unconventional, nontraditional and frequently joyous methods, from fanzines and pro-choice festivals to toy placards, phalluses and punk rock.

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Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/03/pussy-riot-kremlin-protest-riot-grrrl

Who would ever have thought it? Out and proud lesbian Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama – who, despite her own achievements is still seen as the woman behind the president – have had a rather fetching press-up competition on national TV.

With a little flirting, and slightly more competitiveness we hear Ellen asking Michelle how many repetitions of the exercise she could do, before challenging the first lady with the line: “I was just wondering if you could do more push-ups than I could do”.

Jackets were flung off while Michelle made a snide joke about Ellen having a dodgy back, and the next thing we saw the two women on the floor doing a smart imitation of gym bunnies. (If you are interested in who won, Michelle managed more press-ups than Ellen.) – Click here to see the footage

It may have been slightly odd – but how wonderfully refreshing to see women flexing their muscles instead of simpering and trying to look as feminine as possible. I used to challenge any man who put me down to an arm wrestle – and often I won. But I stopped when I started to get asked if lesbians are born with bigger biceps. Lesbians often go out of their way to appear feminine in order to avoid being labelled “butch”, but it’s easier for straight women to show a bit of machismo on occasion.

Working women who demonstrate “stereotypical male behaviour” are likely to face discrimination because they don’t fit the female stereotype

But who could fail to be impressed by women like Demi Moore’s character in GI Jane: “The more anybody fights with me, the more I wanna gut it out.” Feminists loved that film as did many watching Sigourney Weaver in Alien, running around in her singlet, making the men gawp in awe. The Sarah Connor character in Terminator 2 morphs from a damsel in distress in the original film to a fighting machine. Seen wielding massive weapons, she later breaks her psychiatrist’s arm because he is stopping her from saving the world. “You broke my arm!” “There’s 215 bones in the human body. That’s one.”

Then there is Martina Navratilova, a hero of mine for being brave enough to come out as a lesbian when it was almost a hanging offence, who does not “throw like a girl”. For years her main rival was that paragon of femininity, Chris Evert who managed to make Martina look like a particularly macho Ken next to her Barbie. What a joy it was watching Martina pulverise the ball, all grunty and sweaty, and not care about her headband or dangly earrings, unlike so many other female players.

Working women who demonstrate “stereotypical male behaviour” are likely to face discrimination because they don’t fit the female stereotype, according to research published early last year. It showed that women in managerial positions who demonstrate self-confidence, assertiveness and dominance are – surprise, surprise – perceived negatively by some for not behaving in a traditionally feminine way. Despite the fact that those particular traits, are viewed as necessary for men to get on in the workplace, women with these characteristics can be seen as good at their jobs, but “less socially skilled, less likeable and less likely to be promoted.”

Then there is the negative view of women who choose strength over curves, held by both men and women. The Mail in 2009 ran a headline alongside a photograph of Madonna with bulging biceps proclaiming, “If ever she tires of showbiz, a new career clearly awaits Madonna. She could pose for medical students keen to learn about the muscular system.” Her muscles and protruding veins have even been compared to the preserved bodies exhibited by the German anatomist Gunther von Hagens. The gossip website TMZ ran a feature on Madonna with a picture caption reading: “After dinner with her 22-year-old toy boy, Madonna flashed her grotesquely sexy 50-year-old appendages. Nothing says ageing gracefully like an overly worked-out pair of monstrously sculpted and bloodcurdling veiny corpse arms.” Can you imagine anyone saying this about Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Straight men who transcend gender conventions are not as pilloried. Think David Beckham with his sarong, headband, nail varnish and thong, or Russell Brand and Eddie Izzard who play with femininity.

So let’s have more fight and less femininity in the future please, at least until we gain equality. We women hide our strength and competitiveness all the time, lest we upset men. Instead, let’s beat them at their own game.

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/03/michelle-obama-ellen-press-up-feminist

The Italian supreme court has caused outrage after ruling that those convicted of gang rape do not have to be sentenced to jail.

Late on Thursday the court upheld a constitutional court decision to annul the jail sentence of two 19-year-old men found guilty of gang raping a 16-year-old near Rome. A lower court had ruled that jail was the only sentencing option, but the supreme court disagreed, saying judges could apply alternatives.

Critics said the ruling that prison was not automatic for group rape convictions could allow some rapists to go free. Two former equal opportunities ministers – Barbara Pollastrini from the Democratic party of the left and Mara Carfagna, a minister under the former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi – both spoke out against the decision. “This sends the wrong message,” Carfagna said.

The courts appear to be struggling with a tough decree passed by the Berlusconi government in 2009 mandating prison sentences for sex offenders.

The conservative parliamentarian Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Benito Mussolini, called the ruling “a time bomb waiting to explode”. A long-time advocate for tougher anti-rape laws, Mussolini in 1999 donned jeans to protest inside parliament over another controversial supreme court rape decision, the so-called “denim defence”. In that case, the court overturned a 34-month rape sentence in southern Italy, suggesting a woman could not be raped while wearing jeans since they were impossible to remove unless she helped.

In Italy, sexual assault was changed from a moral offence to a criminal felony in the 1990s. The former interior minister Roberto Maroni, who helped push through the 2009 decree, urged the government to make the law enforceable by the courts. “This sentence is not just a bad sentence. It is worse – it is dangerous,” Maroni told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. “If we don’t propose another law we are going to end up with Cain winning over Abel.”

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/03/italian-court-gang-rape-jailed

Spain‘s opposition Socialist party may set the former defence minister Carme Chacón on the path to becoming the country’s first female prime minister at a nail-bitingly close contest for a new leader .

Chacón is in a two-way contest with the former deputy prime minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba to take over a party in tatters after a rout at elections in November.

Although both candidates worked closely with the former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Chacón is seen as closest to the man who governed Spain for eight years until December.

Zapatero has publicly declared himself neutral in the fight between the two career politicians, but is privately reported to back Chacón.

Rubalcaba, 60, has the open support of Felipe González, who was prime minister from 1982 to 1996. The wily veteran also has the backing of Patxi López, the popular Basque regional prime minister, and of many party veterans.

Chacón, a 40-year-old Catalan who studied part of her law degree at Manchester University, has called on the party’s women to back her and appears to have the support of a younger generation of Socialists.

Her team are sure they have won enough pledged votes from delegates who have started gathering in the southern city of Seville for her to win. “She is going to get it,” one of her team said.

But Rubalcaba’s side also claims to be narrowly ahead in the battle for a majority of the 956 votes at the conference, with a block of up to 100 undecided delegates set to be key.

There is little difference, politically, between the two candidates. Both have veered further left since they were ejected from government in November, but neither belongs to the more rebellious wing of a party that competes for leftwing votes with the communist-led United Left coalition.

Higher taxes on the wealthy and support for the Tobin tax on financial transactions is mixed with a call for Spain to slow its austerity drive to prevent an even deeper fall into recession.

Spain’s political system is mostly a two-party affair, with either the Socialists or the conservative People’s party (PP) of the current prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, running the government since 1982.

Whoever wins the post of secretary general can expect to challenge Rajoy for the prime minister’s job at the next elections, which are due in late 2015 or early 2016.

They can also expect to preside over a fractious party that is bitter about losing power in Madrid as well as in many regional government and town halls.

The first major electoral challenge will be a vote for the regional parliament in the traditional socialist stronghold of southern Andalucía in March. Opinion polls there show the party in danger of losing to Rajoy’s PP.

The task of turning around the Socialist vote is immense. It received its lowest overall vote since 1977 at the November general election, with just 110 MPs in the 350-seat parliament. Voters punished it for the economic crisis, massive unemployment and for Zapatero’s 2010 U-turn on the economy. Rubalcaba was the candidate for prime minister at that election and Chacón campaigners point to his inability to stave off disaster.

Zapatero imposed austerity, raised the retirement age, froze pensions and cut civil service pay in May 2010 as bond markets put massive pressure on Spain’s sovereign debt after the collapse of Greece and neighbouring Portugal.

It is still unclear how much the two candidates can distance themselves from Zapatero – especially as both were cabinet ministers when he performed his policy turnabout.

As opposition leader, they will shadow Rajoy, who has already performed his own U-turn by raising taxes as part of his attempt to cut back a budget deficit of more than 8% last year. With unemployment at 23% and still growing, many Socialists believe Rajoy will soon become vulnerable.

Spain has just entered the second phase of a double-dip recession, with the International Monetary Fund predicting the economy will shrink 1.7% this year. Many economists see the recession stretching into 2013, and Rajoy’s embrace of greater austerity will also see more job losses.

The prime minister was recently caught on camera privately admitting that his planned reforms to the labour market, to be announced next week, would provoke a general strike.

Chacón’s popularity leapt in 2008 when, aged 37 and seven months pregnant, she was appointed as Spain’s first female defence minister by Zapatero. His second-term cabinet, with nine women to eight men, was Europe’s first majority-female cabinet.

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/03/spain-socialists-carme-chacon

So at last a key report into the undercover policing controversy was published this week. Dennis O’Connor, the head of the body inspecting the police, finally produced his delayed report yesterday after cancelling its publication at the last minute in the autumn.

Here was our take on O’Connor’s report – we wrote that the clandestine operation that secretly deployed police spies in political groups for 40 years was severely criticised by the inspectorate which recommended a tightening up of the controls on such undercover operations.

We also reported on how Mark Kennedy, the spy at the centre of the controversy, was beaten up by his own police colleagues and how he was criticised by O’Connor.

The report has been written by an establishment figure, but given that, it is striking how he criticises the covert operation to infiltrate political campaigns. O’Connor concluded, for instance, that the undercover deployments were weakly controlled and led to “disproportionate intrusion” into the lives of the activists.

History tells us that any state operation which is hidden behind years of secrecy will almost inevitably lead to abuses. The controversy which has erupted over the past 12 months was probably a disaster waiting to happen for some years. As it happened, it was Kennedy who brought it to a head, but we understand that he was not the first of these undercover police officers to go out of control or awol.

O’Connor says that in future, these undercover deployments should be approved beforehand by an outside organisation, the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners.

Potentially this could mean that there will be fewer deployments in protest groups as police chiefs will have to justify them to some-one outside their cosy circle. Only time will tell.

O’Connor’s report had little to say on one of the most explosive aspects of the controversy – undercover officers sleeping with, and even having children, with the activists they have been sent to spy on.

This was criticised by the eight women who have started legal action against police chiefs. They say that they were duped into forming long-term loving relationships with undercover policemen and suffered intense emotional trauma and pain.

In a statement, the eight said : “This report misses an opportunity to clearly and unequivocally outlaw any undercover operative from entering into and maintaining a long term intimate relationships whilst undercover”.

“It is of concern that whilst the report recognises the psychological harm that may be caused to the police officer,

no mention is made of the harm they cause to the women with whom they enter such a relationship which is potentially far more serious. There can be no justification for such relationships and for the outrageous state intrusion on the privacy of those concerned nor for the serious emotional and psychological damage caused”.

O’Connor criticised Kennedy on a series of counts, particularly for defying his instructions from his supervisors. Kennedy rejected the criticism, telling the BBC that he was “outraged” at the claim that he had not obeyed orders.

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2012/feb/03/undercover-operation-criticised-by-watchdog

David Cameron’s mini-reshuffle following the resignation of Chris Huhne as energy secretary represents a missed opportunity to improve the gender profile at cabinet level.

Though the shakeup sees an additional woman entering the government in the shape of Jenny Willott as assistant government whip, the decision to promote Ed Davey to the vacancy left by Huhne, and in turn hand over Davey’s previous job in the department of Business, Innovation and Skills to Norman Lamb, means the gender gap remains a sore at senior ministerial level, with just five women – all Conservative – in the 23-strong cabinet.

When the Conservative defence secretary Liam Fox resigned last October, amid polling suggesting the Tories had a problem with female voters, Cameron used the mini-reshuffle to promote Justine Greening to the role of transport secretary, raising the tally of female cabinet ministers to five.

This time, the fact that the third cabinet minister to resign since the coalition government was formed was a Liberal Democrat meant Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, had the say in who would fill the seat – albeit a decision that Cameron would have signed off.

To date, the five Lib Dem cabinet seats have all been taken by men, despite their occupants being reshuffled twice following the resignations of David Laws and now Huhne.

Fifty of the 57 Lib Dem MPs are male, giving Clegg the lowest proportion (12%) of women of the main three parties, compared with the Conservatives (16%), and Labour (32%).

Until Friday, just two Lib Dem ministers were women: Sarah Teather, the schools minister, and Lynne Featherstone, the Home Office minister for equalities. This has risen with the appointment of Willott, 14 months after she resigned as parliamentary private secretary to Huhne to vote against the rise in tuition fees.

Jo Swinson, the MP for East Dunbartonshire, is also on the rise after assuming the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) post previously held by Lamb alongside his other responsibilities. As bag-carrier positions go, being PPS to the Lib Dem deputy prime minister is the most sought-after. But party activists may nonetheless wonder how the absence of a female Lib Dem at the top level sits with the leadership programme recently launched by Clegg to encourage women and black and minority ethnic candidates to get ahead in politics. Role models at the top, after all, offer aspiration to others. For the coalition government overall, critics will argue it’s a case of “plus ça change” in terms of the scarcity of women at the top.

Anna Bird, acting chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “Men outnumber women in parliament four to one, and the 2010 election saw a paltry 2.5% increase in the number of women MPs.

“Today’s changes see more women pushed up the ladder, but no new women join the cabinet. Men continue to outnumber women 18 to five, meaning British politics’ top table is almost 80% male.

“Women have a right to an equal say in politics, but there are more millionaires than women in the cabinet. Decisions of national importance – about everything from whether to go to war to what to teach in our schools – are being made without women round the table. The different experiences and perspectives of one half of the country are not being heard.

“David Cameron must honour his pledge to make a third of his ministers women by 2015, and we believe this must involve more women getting a seat at the top table.”

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/03/chris-huhne-reshuffle-opportunity-women

A winner of Holland’s Next Top Model is suing her agency for refusing to give her the prize money she claims she is due because they say she is “too fat”.

Ananda Marchildon said she only received €10,000 (£8,300) of the €75,000 contract she was promised after winning the competition in 2008, aged 21. She was also stripped of her title.

The 1.83m (6ft) model claims she was sacked by Elite Model Management two years into the three-year agreement because her hip measurement exceeded their maximum limit of 90cm. The average European woman has 102.9cm hips. At the time of her dismissal, Marchildon claims her hips were 92cm.

Marchildon says her hips were 92cm (36in) when she was sacked. The European average is 102.9cm

Her lawyers claim she lost rather than gained weight after winning the show. They argue the agency is obliged to work with Marchildon “as she looked in the final”, rather than retrospectively forcing her to conform to their rules. The case has started a debate in the Netherlands about the extent to which young women are expected to adhere to near-impossible physical standards.

Dieuwke Levinson-Arps, who is representing Marchildon, claims her client was told by a lawyer working for Elite that she was sacked because “although she has a nice face, she has a fat arse” and that “she never had it in her to become a top model because she was unsuitable for catwalk work”. She said Marchildon’s physiology meant she had “no chance” of having 90cm hips, even with a strict diet and exercise regime. “Already she was very skinny, almost anorexically skinny,” said Levinson-Arps.

In the two years after winning the show, Marchildon received around 20 assignments for Elite, mostly in print advertisements. She did not get any catwalk offers.

Marchildon is suing Elite for unfair dismissal. She wants them to pay out the remaining €65,000 she says she was promised for winning the show. Elite is contesting the claim.

Wikke Kootstra, a lawyer for Elite, said: “It was impossible for Elite to find [Marchildon] modelling jobs since she wasn’t in the required shape.”

Asked about the reason for a preferred hip measurement of 90cm, Kootstra said in an email: “Elite models model couture. Couture clothing is made in one size only: (très très) petite. This is not something modelling agencies can change. (I imagine they would welcome such a change since it would make their job so much easier … but it is not in their power to change what the market dictates.)

“Hip measurements are not the only criterium for the possibility to find suitable jobs for a model; they have to be in excellent trim and take extremely good care of their appearances, eat right, sleep well, exercise etc. It’s not for everybody.”

Kootstra said Elite never signed a contract with Marchildon. After winning the show she was given a contract with another modelling agency, MTA. She was then placed with the higher-profile Elite agency, said Kootstra, “as is customary in the modelling world, to obtain maximal exposure”.

To support their case, Marchildon’s legal team wrote to Tyra Banks, the American supermodel who owns the rights to the Next Top Model brand, saying the incident “exploits” and “grossly neglects” the character of Banks’s original format. Banks does not appear to have received the letter as it was subsequently returned unopened.

Banks has been outspoken about her own weight fluctuations since tabloids ran an unflattering photograph of her in a bathing suit under headlines such as: “America’s Next Top Waddle” and “Tyra Porkchop”.

In March last year a beauty queen in Texas won a case against the pageant’s organisers who stripped her of her crown after she allegedly put on weight.

A court judgment in Marchildon’s case is expected on 7 March in Amsterdam.

Article source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/feb/03/next-top-model-too-fat-ananda-marchildon

With Valentines Day being an opportunity to share your loving thoughts to your partner and friends, we thought it a great opportunity to share some of the wonderful gifts, places to go and offers out there in London at this time.  Not only is it a time to share with loved ones, it is also a fun time to read some of the great mishaps that have been made during this celebration!

In years past, Yahoo.com has noticed a spike in men searching for an answer to the question: “When is Valentine’s Day?”

Memo to men: Valentine’s Day is on February 14. In years past, Yahoo.com has noticed a spike in men searching for an answer to the question: “When is Valentine’s Day?” as the day fast approaches. Of all the holidays on the yearly calendar, the one designated for romance never fails to trip guys up. Blame mixed messages: While retailers consider the holiday worthy of diamonds, many women take the stance that it’s no big deal.

Don’t fall for any of it. Valentines Day is when a guy’s affection, compatibility, and commitment are put to the test. Forgetting the day is just the first mistake to avoid. Here are some amusing stories from members, restaurant staff and scouring the web.  If you have an amusing story or a tip to share, please add a comment or email us!

Submitted by a Waitress – Secret Lovers

A few years ago, a guy proposed to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day in front of the whole restaurant. She freaked out and said no. When the man asked her why, she said she was sleeping with his best friend.

Submitted by A Collins -    Post-Breakup

Tipping    ”I was serving a couple. In the middle of the meal, the man broke up with her. I don’t know what kind of guy does this on Valentine’s Day, but she acted like it was okay. Then, as soon as the man went to the bathroom, she flagged me down. She opened his briefcase, pulled out his credit card, ordered a $600 bottle of Champagne, and gave me the card to swipe immediately. She took a swig of the Champagne, walked out, and left me a $200 tip.”

Submitted by a WATC Member – Mr White and Mr Perrier

I had given birth the month before and yes I admit we were still getting into a routine and trying to find anytime for us as a couple was a new concept. However my husband decides to give it a go and comes home from work with his valentine gifts for me. The red rose was always well recieved so give him his dues there. However he then produced a bottle of LAurent Perrier Rose champagne. My absolute favourite! I tried to tell him to maybe hold off from opening for a few weeks as I was breast feeding and obviously shouldn’t drink. Well too late he opened the bottle and I managed a couple of sips. He then gave me a supermarket carrier bag wrapped present. So I easily opened it to find the greatest hits of Barry White. Although I like a bit of Barry with the rest of them, I had never mentioned that I loved him.  So he ordered in a curry and I watched him polish off the entire bottle of LPR whilst telling me he loved me and was glad we were having a night together in doors, and also that our daughter was getting some sleep.  Unfortunately the champagne kicked in and after dinner he tried to convince me that Barry was the love god. I spent the rest of the night watching him dancing and singing to Barry’s hits in the front room whilst just in his pants. With all this dancing and exertion he promptly sat on the settee and fell asleep. I left him there for the night and was glad my mother I law came round the next day and let herself in to see her glorious son slumped on the sofa with a champagne drool over his face.  Needless to say we are still married and in fact very much in love with 2 children,  however valentines days are now shared with rules on No Barry and no Dancing, plus no parents allowed the next day as his Mum certainly made her dissapointment felt!

Submitted by Anon

I once took a guy out for a Valentine’s Day dinner. His eyes lit up when he saw our waiter! He then proceeded to flirt shamelessly with him. Needless to say it didn’t work out between the two of us.

Vidal Sassoon Ultralite Contour Hair Straightener for £19 (68% Off)

Getting things straight from the horse’s mouth would require the horse to be wearing extremely hot, flat dentures. Tame your mane with today’s Groupon: £19 for an Ultralite Contour hair straightener from Vidal Sassoon.

This Vidal Sassoon brand strand-straightener can tame unruly hair with 100% titanium plates that are fully floating to fit thicker locks. With six accurate temperature settings up to a maximum of 210 degrees, the straightener will never fry flyaways. A 360 degree swivel cord keeps everything as tangle free and uncurled as the hair itself.

The Specifics
• Heats up to 210°C
• Titanium floating plates
• Illuminated digital mirror display
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More About Chemist-4-U
Chemist-4-U is one of the UK’s biggest mail order and online pharmacies, and has been providing Brits with a huge range of medicines, smellies, and even baby toys since 2001. The company has a stock base of brands and goodies tasty enough to make soup with, but with considerably more shelf space than the high street potions and lotions shop.

How It Works

1. Buy your Groupon
2. We email you the voucher after the deal ends
3. Voucher activates on Friday 3 February 2012 at 8pm
4. Go to www.chemist-4-u.com/Vidal-Sassoon-VSST2958UK.html
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Article source: http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/dundee/chemist-4-u/3085521?CID=UK_RSS_217_389_189_22&utm_source=rss_217&utm_medium=rss_389&utm_campaign=rss_189&utm_content=rss_22